תלמוד בבלי סנהדרין קח.
כי השחית כל בשר את דרכו על הארץ (בראשית ו) א"ר יוחנן מלמד שהרביעו בהמה על חיה וחיה על בהמה והכל על אדם ואדם על הכל
“All flesh had corrupted its way on the earth.” [The “way of flesh” is understood as copulation and its corruption as perversion.] “Rabbi Yohanan said: beasts copulated with animals, animals with beasts, they all had intercourse with human beings, and humans had intercourse with them.”
[Translation by Rabbi Steve Greenberg]
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. The corruption of the "way" of the animals is interpreted by Rashi as sexual. Can you imagine another possible reading of this text?
2. Some biblical commentators have suggested that animals became carnivorous, and so violated the original divine intent in Chapter 1 of Genesis for them to be exclusively herbivorous. Can you find internal evidence for this reading?
Time Period: Rabbinic (Maccabees through the Talmud)